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Concordia Open Science Working Group

Open science/scholarship is the practice of making all research processes and outcomes freely available and accessible to everyone, eliminating barriers to knowledge. It encompasses a wide range of practices, including open access, open data, open labs, open notebooks, open evaluation, open hardware, open-source software, and citizen science, among others. Importantly, open science/scholarship extends beyond the natural sciences, including fields like the humanities, social sciences, business studies, and fine arts, making it a truly inclusive movement for advancing knowledge across all disciplines.

The Concordia Open Science Working Group, established in September 2022, is a dynamic and rapidly growing initiative born from the successful Open Science @ Concordia conference. Bringing together over 20 faculty members, trainees, and students across eight units—Psychology, Computer Science and Software Engineering, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Biology, Engineering, Education, Communication Studies, and the Library—the group works to accelerate the adoption of open science/scholarship practices, support practitioners, analyze provincial, national, and international policies, and engage with fellow open science/scholarship advocates to promote collaboration. Through a series of workshops, members of the working group co-authored a report with actionable recommendations to advance open science/scholarship. This report, published on Spectrum in April 2023, was broadly discussed with the administration and other members of the Concordia community.

Co-led by Dr. Nicolás Alessandroni, a postdoctoral fellow, and Dr. Krista Byers-Heinlein, a professor in the Psychology Department and Concordia University Research Chair in Bilingualism and Open Science, the group is actively shaping the future of open science/scholarship across disciplines.

The group is always open to new members joining. For more information about the Open Science Working Group, or to express interest in joining, you can contact nicolas.alessandroni@concordia.ca.

Concordia University Library Supports Open

Open at Concordia was developed by Rachel Harris in collaboration with subject librarian colleagues at Concordia University Library and the Open Science Working Group. Psychology subject librarian Melissa Rivosecchi modelled the guide's first discipline-specific page in consultation with Harris and OSWG co-lead Nicolás Alessandroni.

Except where otherwise noted, content on this guide is licenced under a CC BY 4.0. International licence. Icons by The Noun Project.

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